EMBATTLED jockey Dan Nikolic will today seek Supreme Court intervention to allow him to return to the saddle tomorrow after yesterday being stood down indefinitely by stewards.

Nikolic was at trackwork at Caulfield this morning, preparing glamour mare Mosheen for her opening race of a Cox Plate quest, for Saturday's Bobby Lewis Quality at Flemington.

Unless he gains court orders, or Racing Victoria lifts the ban, Nikolic will miss a ride on the only quality galloper he now rides.

Chief steward Terry Bailey yesterday stood down Nikolic for the last two races of the Seymour meeting after claiming the jockey had made threatening remarks about he and his family. Police were called.

Nikolic hotly disputes he made any such remarks, claiming he said only in a joking manner: "Eyes on the road, Terry".

"It was a joke," Nikolic said, saying it was a line from a television car insurance ad.

He said he wanted the issues between he and Bailey resolved.

Nikolic gave his version to fellow riders, but after Ben Melham, Craig Robinson and Brad Rawiller spoke with stewards and Jockeys Association boss Des O'Keefe, they agreed to continue to ride.

Des O'Keefe said the jockeys' decision not to strike was in no way taking sides with the stewards.

O'Keefe said the morale of jockeys overall was "the lowest I have seen" but said they will not strike this Spring Carnival.

"From the top down there is absolute concern that their integrity is under suspicion," he said of the on-going inquiries by the Integrity department, Victoria Police and stewards into alleged race-fixing.

"The riding group as a whole is extremely concerned not only for them but for the industry as a whole.

"The sooner these things are resolved, the better.

"If we don't have transparency and integrity we have nothing. But we need this matter to get resolved quickly and correctly so as few riders are dragged into it (race fixing inquiries).

"If you don't have due process, you have a rabble.

"But what we do need is the rules to be enforced and implemented in a totally professional manner," he said.

O'Keefe said standing down a jockey during a race meeting wasn't the way to go.

"Any problems from yesterday don't get sorted out by not riding in races seven and eight. They get sorted out after the races and this morning."

Nikolic has been banned indefinitely from riding after a heated run-in with Bailey at yesterday's Seymour races.

The last two races were delayed after jockeys considered an impromptu strike in support of Nikolic.

Bailey has alleged Nikolic made threatening remarks to him near the stewards' tower after the sixth race.

Nikolic accused Bailey of "completely inventing" the story and that Bailey told jockeys Jason Benbow and Brad Rawiller that Nikolic had threatened his family.

Benbow and Rawiller declined to comment.

Nikolic alleged Bailey yesterday told him: "I told you a year ago I was going to f--- your career."

"He said the same thing to me a year and a half ago," Nikolic said.

"I just said: 'Is this the best you can do?'."

Bailey denied he made any such comment.

Nikolic, who is embroiled in two race-fixing probes, said he made a light-hearted comment to Bailey as he passed the steward on his way to the barriers for race five.

He said Bailey called him into the stewards' room after the race to clarify what he had said.

"I said it was a joke, but he asked if it was a threat. I said, 'Are you threatened by me, Terry?'."

Nikolic said he had a further confrontation with Bailey before the sixth race, when Nikolic walked on to the track to assess it.

Nikolic said that Bailey twice ordered him to the jockeys' room and told him he had been stood down indefinitely.

Nikolic said he explained his version of events to his fellow riders, who spoke to jockeys' association chief executive Des O'Keeffe to ask if they should strike.

He advised them to ride.

"That's not to be interpreted as a lack of support for Danny Nikolic; just that there are better ways to resolve these things," O'Keeffe said.

Bailey interviewed Nikolic, a trainer and a number of other jockeys at RVL headquarters on Monday